Jhoan Duran’s Entrance is Worth the Price of Admission

Best viewed when Target Field is rocking for a night game, the lights go down and fans light up their phones as the music blares throughout the stadium. If that doesn’t get the excitement up for a save situation in which the Twins are looking to close out a game, I’m not sure what will.

Closer Entrances Aren’t New

What Duran brings to the Twins isn’t revolutionary from an entrance perspective, but it may be the most exciting. Arguably the most notable instance of a closer entrance was that of New York Mets fireballer coming out to Narco complete with Timmy Trumpets in attendance and playing live for the occasion. However, that isn’t a consistent thing on a game-by-game basis, and Diaz missed all of last season while being injured during the World Baseball Classic.

Obviously Mariano Rivera was synonymous with Enter Sandman by Metallica when making the jog onto the Yankees Stadium mound, and multiple other closers have coined their go-to music over the years as well. Having an opportunity to hype up a reliever coming in out of the bullpen with eyes on grabbing a save and sending their team to victory is pretty special.

Twins Hit Different With Duran

Part of the excitement behind Jhoan Duran’s entrance is just how special the entirety of the stadium gets into it. Turning down the lights and having a strobe effect go throughout Target Field while the downtown landscape is lit up for the evening shows so well. Then there’s the fire and red tones that really lean into what Duran specifically brings to the mound.

Minnesota has replicated some of these feelings with their other late inning relievers as well. Brock Stewart gets a lightning-fueled treatment, and while his doesn’t incorporate the same level of theatrics, it’s clear that the Twins marketing department knows what they are doing in these situations.